


Only Void Remains

by NepetaLeijon27



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Adaptation, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Madoka Magica Fusion, Angst and Tragedy, Blood and Violence, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Death, Fate Worse Than Death, Gen, Heavy Angst, Magic-Users, Magical Boys, No Romance, No Smut, POV First Person, Swearing, take these tags seriously guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-08-29 18:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 17,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16749352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NepetaLeijon27/pseuds/NepetaLeijon27
Summary: Long ago, a person known as Oda Sakunosuke made a wish.Dark Era, but a bit different this time. Based on the Light Novel rather than the anime.Named after this song -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxRK-KEenIo





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Japanese literary historians show a great fondness for grouping writers in schools, preferably those to which a neat descriptive label can be attached. In the years immediately following the end of the war, when Oda rose to sudden prominence, the tendency in critical circles was to lump him with Dazai Osamu and Sakaguchi Ango, as a member of what was dubbed the burai-ha, the "hooligan" or "decadent" school of writers. The term burai-ha, which appears first in 1946, was from the beginning rather vague in meaning, the opinions differ as to just what it denotes and to whom it should be applied. In general, however, it is taken to mean writers whose works are distinguished by an attitude of disillusionment and alienation from society, and whose personal lives are marked by dissipation.
> 
> \- Introduction of 'Stories of Osaka Life'.

Careful and precise, I land the last blow on the witch. It gives one last scream as the barrier dissipates. ‘Let’s get this over with for today. This entire thing has been taking too long.’ I mumble as I pick up the Grief Seed that was left behind. While kneeling to retrieve it, a cold drop of water lands on my head as it starts to rain. It doesn’t matter, I wasn’t planning on staying outside for long. Clenching my newly-acquired Grief Seed in my hand, I open the door of a small bar. As usual, it is relatively calm inside. The regulars talk mainly with friends in their own circle, and I only know their faces. I look around and spot a man dressed in black civilian clothing sitting at the bar. When he hears my footsteps coming closer, he turns to face me. One of his eyes is covered with a bandage, and his cheek is covered to hide a wound too. ‘Ah, Odasaku. Back from your latest witch hunt, I see?’ Dazai had already spotted the Grief Seed in my hands as I slowly nod. ‘Yeah. This one’s unused. Wanna share?’ Dazai shrugs and shows me his Soul Gem. It’s a shimmering light blue. ‘Nah. I’m good.’

I order a drink before talking with Dazai again. ‘Guess I’ll use this one on myself, then. Or maybe with Ango, if some of it is left.’ ‘Sure, go ahead, but I’m…’ ‘Not responsible if the witch respawns.’ I finish Dazai’s sentence before he can do it. ‘That was what I was going to say.’ Dazai half-lids his eyes. ‘I know.’ ‘Speaking about Ango…’, I transform back into my civilian clothes. The half-used Grief Seed is burning in my hands. ‘Is he coming, or what?’ ‘He should.’  Dazai stares forlornly into the space in front of him before switching over to a different topic.

‘There was an incident today.’ The barman places my ordered drink in front of me as Dazai continues talking. ‘You see, the executives met up in the office of the boss. It was all talk and stuff when suddenly, we all perceived, like, this huge chunk of witch magic.’ I nod, and take another sip of my drink. ‘And then, we were like ‘wait there’s a powerful witch who chose this place to stay?’. Like, that’s strange. But we, well, fought the witch after that. And honestly, I was rather unimpressed.’ While Dazai keeps talking about his latest adventures, my mind trails off.

My trance is broken when the door opens. A young man with black hair enters the small bar. He is carrying a small bag. ‘Ah, Ango. We were waiting for you.’ Ango doesn’t react on Dazai as he sits down next to me. ‘Good evening to you too, Odasaku and Dazai.’ He absentmindedly cleans his Soul Gem with a Grief Seed he had apparently been carrying with him. That settles that, I think, and I toss the Grief Seed in my hands to a nearby incubator.

As soon as the formalities are over, Ango starts talking about all kind of stuff pertaining to Grief Seed trading I’m not catched up to, and I start ignoring the talking once again. It has been a few years ago I met Dazai and Ango, and started hunting witches with them. I barely know the history behind their respective wishes, but I have the feeling I belong here. The two are way higher ranked in the mafia than I am. This is all because I refuse to partake in a custom of the mafia: to kill other magical girls and boys. As such, I am little more than the mafia’s handyman.

Ango finally stops talking in numbers and minutiae as he offers us a look of the insides of his briefcase to show his latest acquisition. I spot an umbrella, some other unrelated stuff, and a very precious-looking watch.  ‘An antique watch? Nice.’ Dazai’s eyes start to glimmer upon seeing the precious watch Ango apparently acquired during the deal he returned from. We may be Puer Magi, but most of us love luxury in life, and are more than willingly to trade for it.

‘Hey, Ango, you have a camera with you, right?’ Dazai points at him. I finish my drink and put away the glass. ‘Yes. Why?’ Dazai looks around in the bar, which is emptier than when I arrived. ‘Maybe it would be nice if we took a photo here. Just as a remembrance of us being here.’ ‘But this is our regular meet-up place.’ I argue. It’s true- it has almost become our base. ‘Doesn’t matter.’, Dazai shrugs. ‘Let’s do it, Ango.’

And so, we take a few photo’s as by Dazai’s request. As of then, I had no idea that this was the last time we met there together.

Because, at the end, one of us would turn into a witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now, every chapter will be named after a song. That song is the main leitmotif during this chapter. Or see them in a YouTube playlist here -> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_Qfa1q3GjoSoEJ06frdp9jFHDbemET-m 
> 
> This fic isn't romance-oriented, but for you guys saying Odazai is pedophilia: I aged Dazai up in this fic to be just as old as Oda. Thank you.


	2. Something, everything is wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la_b5AUmJMs
> 
> Notice how I started associating that song with Mori? Yeah, I think it kind of fits him in a way.

The next day, I am summoned to the office of our boss, Ougai Mori. Although it is not specified why, I have a hunch it must be serious. Like I said, I am little more than the mafia’s handyman. There should be no logical reason why our boss wants to speak someone of so low regard like me. I enter the lift and watch through the window how the sun slowly reaches its peak in the sky. The higher I go, the bigger my hunch grows. I sigh and shrug it off as the lift stops at the highest point of the building. The guards open the door.

‘Come on, Elise, why won’t you wear this! Look at it! The red fabric is just like little rose petals!’

I am met with the rather embarrassing sight of Mori trying to push Elise into wearing a red dress. ‘Uhm...boss...It’s Oda Sakunosuke...you summoned me?’ I try. He looks up.

We are quickly transported into a backroom. ‘You did not see anything of that. Understood?’ Mori’s eyes stare into my soul. ‘Understood, sir.’ I sit down. ‘It is true that I summoned you. This night, one of our members did not come home. I am talking about Sakaguchi Ango.’

 _No. Say it ain’t so_.

My heart skips a beat and I gasp. ‘Ango…’ ‘We have tried locating him with our magic.’, Mori continues talking like he didn’t notice my reaction. ‘Without success. This is why we suspect he has either been killed, taken by a witch or became one.’ I stare into the space next to Mori as I recall him cleansing the green thing yesterday. ‘He just cleansed his Soul Gem yesterday. I don’t think he became a witch. And you want me to…’ ‘I want you to go search for him. Kill any witch you want, we are giving you free territory.’ Mori grabs something in the drawer of his desk. It is a silvery white, official-looking paper. ‘This is the Silver Oracle. Take this with you. It will give you access to things you don’t normally get, seeing your low rank.’ I take the paper Mori gives me and I nod. ‘Oh, and, before you go, I have one last question.’ I stand up, ready to leave, when Mori asks me one last thing. ‘Is there any particular reason why...you don’t kill magical boys and girls?’ I squint. ‘Is that you making use of your position?’ ‘No.’, Mori admits. ‘It is just curiosity.’ ‘Then I prefer not to answer. ls that alright?’ Mori nods. ‘Yes, that is alright. You can leave now.’ I turn around and enter the lift again.

I set out for Ango’s apartment. Not because I expect him to be there, but to at least get a clue for his whereabouts. It would be the ultimate first thing to search through. The apartment is an luxury complex that stands out against all other buildings in the area. I enter the building and head to Ango’s room. Because the possibility of Ango turning into a witch is not entirely implausible, I transform.

The room is empty, almost creepily so. It feels like I’m revisiting the house of someone who died recently. The table and floor are all spotlessly clean. Hard time getting a clue out of that…

I suddenly feel a bolt of magic and almost instantly grip my Soul Gem between my eyes. ‘Something close by...could it be a barrier? So he _did_ turn into a witch, huh?’ I transform my Soul Gem into its true form, reach forward, but a barrier does not appear. ‘Ah? It picked something up...that’s invisible?’ I turn it back into the little red gem on my forehead. There is nothing here I see, not even something like a cabinet that could hide stuff. I look up at the ceiling. Could there be…

I get a chair, try to reach the ceiling tile, then knock on it. It’s hollow. I push it to reveal a small box of sorts. I grab it when something appears before my eyes.

_Two gunshots pierce my body. One of them hits my Soul Gem. I immediately die and fall of the chair._

A sniper…? I quickly dodge the oncoming bullets, then hide behind a nearby wall next to the windows. I carefully look around the wall, and my suspicion gets confirmed. I spot a sniper sitting in the building next to the apartment. They can’t shoot me as of now due to my cleverly chosen position. My Soul Gem is placed between my eyes, and my magical form looks like a seer not for nothing, because my magic powers allow me to look in the future for a couple of seconds. It renders most surprise attacks like this one useless. If I did not have it, I would be dead for a long time now. The box is still in my posession, and I won’t let go of it. I sneak out of Ango’s room and arrive outside again. I think about how there must be something special inside this box, as my magic picked it up. Because the sniper is certainly in this area, and maybe a witch too, I decide to stay in my transformed state as of now.

I grab my phone and call Dazai. ‘Ah, Odasaku? It must be serious, I thought. You’re not calling me that often.’ ‘Dazai, I have been attacked by a sniper just now!’ I don’t have to say who I am, because we recognize our voices by now. ‘If you’re coming out of Ango’s house, I’m chasing the attacker right now.’ He gives me some directions, and I am momentarily confused as to why. Then, it hits me. ‘You want me to cut off his escape route?’ ‘Yeah.’ Dazai answers. ‘Don’t worry, I have the Silver Oracle in my posession, and-’ ‘That won’t be needed. I’ll call my men to seal the road.’ I thank him and hang up.

I run on when the space around me suddenly warps into a barrier. Dammit.


	3. Witch Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDx7gjbVW4g

If Dazai is smart now, he will join me in the upcoming fight, but I don’t know. For the moment, I have to save myself. Concluding that, I summon my guns and proceed in the barrier. Although I kind of wonder what the witch will look like, I notice that I fear that this witch might be Ango. Dazai doesn’t have that fear, he doesn’t know the truth about us. Sometimes, I think that I would have been better off if I did not know it, especially now. I don’t know what I would do if it turns out I was the one to kill Ango’s transformed state.

I dive deeper into the barrier as I notice more and more familiars coming up. I easily dodge their attacks while taking them out one by one. My rule of not killing magical boys and girls does not count if they already transformed into a witch. Life would be harder if I’d do that. The area gets less stable as I reach the inner room. God, the witch is big. It’s not the biggest one I’ve fought, but also certainly not the smallest. It immediately takes notice of me and starts the fight. I narrowly dodge its fiery beam and shoot a few times. Darn it, not even close. I take aim at its main body, but in terms of dodging, it is better than me. Some familiars too start joining the fight, but I kill them before they can come close. Can’t have them bothering me, this is a one-to-one between me and the witch. But then…

‘Odasaku, get down!’

I obediently duck - a transformed Dazai entered the barrier with his men, and I know what that entails. A rain of bullets soon fills the air, obliterating the witch. The barrier disappears and the Grief Seed drops. I pick it up. Dazai reveals he found that the sniper carried two guns with them. One of them is the one he made an attempt on my life with. The other is an old pistol with some sort of emblem on it. ‘This emblem…’ He looks up at me and switches from topic.

‘You could’ve killed the sniper yourself, you know, instead of risking getting caught in a barrier and wasting time. We already killed the sniper. If you were quick when you were attacked, we wouldn't have to come in action.’ My mouth becomes a straight line for a second upon hearing that. ‘It’s not the first time I heard that. But I didn’t hear why you were examining the emblem on the gun. What about it?’ ‘It’s not the first time I’ve seen it.’ I gasp. Dazai points at the emblem. ‘Oda, did you hear about an organization called Mimic?’ I shake my head - it’s the first time I hear something like that. ‘It’s an European organization of magical fighters. This gun is somewhat old, and not used nowadays. It’s more historical than it is useful. It is their emblem.’ ‘So that sniper there was-’ I do not want to tell Dazai the truth. ‘A member of Mimic, most likely. Like I said, it’s not the first time I’ve seen that emblem. It may very well be possible that there will be a conflict between us and them.’ ‘A conflict, huh?’, I show Dazai the little box. ‘The sniper was after this. I found this in Ango’s room. A bolt of magic led me here.’ ‘Is that all?’ I give him the box and he opens it.

It contains an old grey pistol. It is the exact same as the one that the sniper carried with them.

‘Eh? But...you just said this is the emblem of Mimic? So does that mean that...that Ango…’ I bite my tongue. ‘This alone does not say everything, Oda. Stop making hasty conclusions. Maybe he seized the gun. Maybe there’s someone framing him.’ ‘That is true. Thank you, Dazai, for helping me. But you are right. We don’t yet have enough information to get something out of this.’


	4. Raise the Curtain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDGOx-47O3Y

We walk back to base again and transform back. Both of us don’t want to get into another fight for today. ‘Another thing. When we were at the bar yesterday, Ango was talking about being back from a trip to Tokyo, right?’ I nod. ‘And he showed us that antique watch. However, I also saw a wet umbrella in there. That is strange, because he would not have needed it. It is true that it did rain in Tokyo. But why use this umbrella? He would have been driven by car to the place of the deal. Furthermore, the umbrella was on top of the watch case, so it wasn’t used before the deal, or after the deal.’ ‘Implying that…’ I want to have his suspicions clear. ‘Judging by the wetness of the thing, it wasn’t used for just two or three minutes. No, this thing has been in the rain for at least half an hour. However, his clothes were dry. The deal was at 8 PM, we met at 11 PM. He wouldn’t have time for this stuff.’ ‘But he could’ve changed clothes.’ ‘Nah.’, Dazai makes a throw-away gesture. ‘The bag was too small. Also, I don’t think the umbrella was even used during the deal. It’s very possible the deal was somewhere inside. The watch he had is so precious, it shouldn’t come in contact with water.’ ‘So the watch may have belonged to Ango all along?’ I ask. ‘Yes. He didn’t have a deal at all, but instead talked to someone for some time in the rain. It’s a very handy situation, the rain will mute the conversation.’

Every single puzzle piece slowly gets pieced together into a whole in my head. Before I realize what everything implies, I notice something is off. I turn around, and a Puer Magi clothed in a grey cloak, clicks his old gun at Dazai, who immediately transforms. The guy must’ve followed us when we were done attacking the witch. ‘Dazai!’ I scream, but there is nothing I can do. However, Dazai stays very calm, his expression unchanging. ‘You are from Mimic, right?’ The man in grey does not answer. ‘I know it’s true. Hah, I did not expect you to answer. That’s not your thing. Go ahead, shoot me.’ ‘Dazai, no!’ I scream once again. He ignores me. ‘The only thing is - I am afraid you will miss.’ The blue Puer Magi walks close to his attacker. The distance between them is less than three meters now. ‘You’re a sniper. You’re not cut out for this kind of attacks, are you? I see it, the markings in your face from handling a sniper rifle.’ And indeed, what he says is true. ‘You cannot possibly miss from this distance we’re at. Shoot me. It won’t change anything at all.’ He points at his Soul Gem at his chest. The attacker bites his lip and then aims for the blue thing.

_Now._

I transform and open fire at the Puer Magi at the same time he decides to do that. Light from gunfire decorates the alley. I hit his arm, sending him flying back. Dazai’s men quickly make an end of it. The bullet of the now dead Puer Magi just barely missed. The bandage behind Dazai’s eye colors red. ‘Dammit. I didn’t manage to die again.’ He sounds kind of disappointed. ‘That was a good work of acting, eh, Odasaku? You see, the markings of the guy were at the left side. He’s left handed.’ ‘...meaning he wasn’t using his dominant hand when he attacked you.’ ‘Exactly. I was just waiting for his arm to get tired. He wasn’t standing steady at all, too.’

We transform back and walk to our base, for real this time.

I hope.


	5. Happy Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPR_te_ODPQ

The next day, I am walking around in the streets without a real goal. I just need to clear my head. Ango, a spy for Mimic? That can’t be true. But it does explain a lot of stuff. Dazai is also still looking for clues. I kind of assume he will get the truth out faster than I will.

I sigh deeply and reluctantly clear my Soul Gem with the Grief Seed from yesterday’s witch. I then toss it to an incubator sitting on a nearby table. ‘Are you feeling well, Odasaku? You look all beaten up.’ The boss of the western restaurant calls my attention. ‘Nahh. Just thinking about things. If I wasn’t feeling well, I wouldn’t be eating things like this curry rice.’ I am a regular in this western restaurant. It’s to the point that I don’t even have to say what I want to eat. I just walk in and the boss of the restaurant already had disappeared into the kitchen in order to make my favorite curry rice. Said boss is a good friend of mine. He’s not the youngest anymore, I’ll admit, but when I see him, I’m convinced he’ll live for another thirty years. Plus, he makes the best curry rice of Yokohama.

‘How are the kids?’ I ask.

‘Same as always. They’re like a little gang. I’m lucky there’s only five of em. If there were five more, they could probably rob a bank, haha.’ He cracks a smile when he says that. The space above the restaurant used to be a meeting room, but a few years ago, it’s remade into a living quarter. I carefully open the door at the end of the hallway. ‘How’s everyone?’ I look around in the room. All kids are busy with something. One of them is drawing, another is idly playing with a ball, while another is caught up in a video game.

Hang on. There are only four in here…

Right at the moment when I make that realization, I notice something moving under one of the beds. I duck once again when the fifth kid finally shows his head and dives in my direction. However, that was a decoy attack: the girl that was drawing immediately grabs my leg, making me lose my balance. My foot gets caught in the wire that was used to play Cat’s Cradle, and in a futile attempt to get a hold on to something, I grab the railing of one of the beds. That was something the kids also foresaw, it seems like, as my hand slips away due to the handle being covered in crayon wax. I am not longer the only person who can foresee the future, it looks like. The floor is it, then. In order to use the counterforce I stick my hands to the floor, leaving my back defenseless. I hear the girl breathing behind me. If she succeeds, I can pack my stuff and leave. Hypothetically.

I will show them the guts of a true Puer Magi.

As such, I dodge the incoming softball and use my hand to deflect it, sending it back to the seven-year old boy. Meanwhile, I free myself from the rope that is twisted around my ankle. Raising my foot, the kid wrapped around my right leg lets out a scream. Another kid attempts an attack on my back, but I can easily stand while carrying him. The boy that started this entire ordeal takes aim to me for the last time. I block him with the lower half of my body. He apparently wanted to bring me out of balance once again, but I don’t even need my built-in body enhancements to raise him up. He screams like a newborn pig. I crack a mischievous smile. ‘Still not gonna surrender, are you?’ ‘No way!’ ‘Well, let’s proceed to some mafia-style interrogation!’ I grab his armpits and tickle furiously.

After two and an half minutes, he gives in. I talk to the kids for a while. Turns out they rate the restaurant downstairs lower and lower each time I come there. Main causes of that are that the meals rotate only every three days. I’ll have to request their access to the kitchen soon. One of them also complains about me treating them younger than they are. And although I don’t visit too often due to my busy jobs called ‘being a Puer Magi’ and ‘being a mafia member’, they don’t know I am a Puer Magi. As far as I know, they don’t even know they exist. I also haven’t been asked questions about the silver ring - luckily. They have never seen my transformed state, either.

When I walk back to the restaurant, I notice a familiar someone sitting there. ‘God damn, this...it’s too...spicy! What’s the secret ingredient? Must’ve been jalapeño!’ Dazai is gasping for some air. He is trying the curry rice I recommended to him, to try out for when he had time. So far it seems to be too spicy for his liking. He looks up to me while taking a sip of his juice. ‘Ahh. Odasaku, how are the kids?’ I sit down next to him. ‘They’re okay. Don’t suspect anything yet.’ ‘Should I go recruit them, then?’ he asks. ‘They’re from the Dragon’s Head Conflict, right?’ I nod.

The Dragon’s Head Conflict was a gang war that lasted years. It was apparently initiated by a certain Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, but before he was killed, a lot of kids were orphaned. I took them in to give them the love their parents are not able to give anymore.

Dazai sighs. ‘Sakunosuke Oda. The mafia member slash Puer Magi who refuses to kill anything not witch or familiar, is taking care of five kids. Hah, you’re probably the strangest person I’ve ever met.’ I shake my head slowly. I, for one, have never met anyone stranger than Dazai.

I grab an envelope filled with cash out of my pocket and put it on the countertop. ‘This is for the living expenses.’ The man opens the envelope to take a quick look. ‘Oh, but this is almost all your earnings, Odasaku! I can pay some of the expenses, too!’ ‘That won’t be necessary. I’m happy you let me lend the place and that I can eat my curry rice here.’

‘Say, eh...does Odasaku always eat his food this spicy? It’s too much for me!’ I shrug. ‘Why are you here, then?’ ‘I wanted to talk you about, you know. The thing.’ He gestures around. Although his terminology was vague, I know what he’s talking about. ‘Oh, yeah. You’ve got the report about it?’ He nods. ‘I can’t have anyone else hearing this. Would you mind if…’ I look the boss in the eyes and point to the kitchen suggestively. ‘Sure. I’ll be preparing some more. If there comes a costumer, I’ll let you know.’ And he disappears into the kitchen.

‘So, the report.’ I want to prevent Dazai trailing off. ‘Yes. They’re a foreign criminal organization.  And only moved here. It’s full of Puer and Puella Magi. They were banned from Europe by another organization named The Order of the Clock Tower due to their abhorrent activities. Apparently they can control witches into doing their bidding.’ So the witch I encountered back then was...‘Europe, huh?’ ‘Yes. Europe is a stronghold in regards to magical fighters. Magic is very normal there. It’s integrated into the government, but also in the criminal world. They shouldn’t be able to go to other countries that easy. But there’s not really a place where they can easily immigrate to. That’s why I suspect there’s an insider helping them.’

‘But what could they possibly want?’ In response, Dazai shrugs. ‘I have no idea. But either way, if they are fugitives and are seriously planning to overthrow us, they will need money.’

There is a saying going around. ‘The world turns on money and Grief Seeds.’ So far, it seems pretty true.

‘It’s all the same.’ I sigh. ‘Let me finish this first.’, Dazai continues. ‘For an organization arriving in a foreign country, they’re pretty experienced. Those snipers, hm. They are from military origin, I found out. So don’t underestimate them. If they manipulate witches into launching an attack on us together, we _will_ be in trouble.’


	6. White Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfD4bif2qyg

‘So, does the leader know?’ I ask. ‘Yes. Furthermore, I have been appointed as battle strategist and commander in order to undermine the organization. I already left a trail of traps and stuff. It shouldn't be long before the first signs of war show their head.’ ‘But the thing is, should the government organizations be involved in this?’

There are many magical fighters who have made a contract with an incubator. They gained powers based on their wish and have to fight others who used to be like them the rest of their short life. Dazai and I are an example of this concept. Some of them have dangerous powers. To monitor these people, the government set up a special department. The people who work here are contracted, of course. ‘The problem is that the department rarely wants to get involved. The mafia is hundred percent contracted people, Mimic is too, and guess who’s going to sit with some popcorn and some Grief Seeds at the sidelines.’ I get the idea - they’re waiting for Mimic to kill us off.

I hestitate to ask the next question that is practically burning inside me.

‘What about Ango?’

‘He is the insider I talked about. He leaked codes and confidential information to Mimic.’

I stare at the ground and sigh. I don’t want to admit outright that I still have some trust left in Ango. ‘But...the possibility he is being framed still exists, right?’ Dazai nods. ‘It still exists, yes. I personally don’t think why you would leave the mafia to join Mimic.’

Yeah, why would he do such a thing?

That train of thought officially leaves the station. Maybe he finally fell into despair. Maybe he thought that the information he possessed was too much. Maybe…

It suddenly gets cut off by Dazai. He’s...laughing? ‘Dazai!’ I arrogantly slam my fist on the table. ‘Hah, initially I thought Mimic was just a normal organization, but if it is something Ango seeks refuge in...they might be more than I recalled!’ ‘Dazai!’ I sigh once again, this time out of frustration.

There is no one who knows what exactly are the contents of that Soul Gem of his.

It’s kind of an unspoken rule of the mafia that we don’t question the reason why your comrades contracted. Asking what someone else’s wish was is very dangerous. However, when I see him like that, I want to know what his was. What would he utter against the incubator, when he is in despair? I have no idea.

‘I’m outta here.’ With that, he exits the restaurant. I cry out for a third time. ‘Dazai!’ He ignores me, this time because his phone is ringing. He picks up. ‘It’s me.’ A silence falls, while Dazai’s smile gets bigger and bigger. Then, he ends the call and clasps his hands together like a little girl.

‘A mouse has fallen into my trap!’

* * *

In the core of Yokohama, there is a casino run by the mafia. The people who gamble here, are high-class elite. Ministers, military figures and first-class bankers all gather in this place. If any of them would be seen by a too-curious person, they’d sure be the scandal of tomorrow’s newspaper. However, that chance is slim. The place is heavily guarded, and that is why it was a huge surprise when the door of the casino is practically ripped out of the wall when a group of masked men, soldiers, enter the gambling home with storm. They loose a few warning shots, which hit the chandelier and the walls. The gamblers run around like scattered ants, trying to escape this raid.

The casino workers don’t hesitate and grab a weapon from the built-in weapon stash, but are shot in the chest quickly. Five intruders run to the manager’s office, and after having killed said manager, they lift up the carpet on the ground, revealing a large electronic safe. One of them taps in the code like it’s nothing, and eagerly wait for the safe to open.

The safe is empty.

The soldiers realize they have been caught, right when the security alarm rings. The emergency shutters lower, trapping the soldiers in the room. They try to shoot their way out, but that is impossible with bullet-proof shutters. Then, the sprinklers turn on. The soldiers look up, and notice that it isn’t water what is escaping from the sprinklers. A white fluid now hangs in the air, suffocating everyone who is still inside. Slowly, the men collapse and fall on the ground. The gas isn’t lethal, but dangerous nonetheless. One of them grabs his gun and shoots, with the last of his strength, himself in his head.

* * *

I push open the door of the small firm. This firm is where Ango used to work. It is a money laundering business, and it has a secret room. Right now, I am brought into that secret room. I notice it doesn’t have any windows to keep its name. It is full of books, records, and reports. I need to search for things to do with Ango here. ‘I’ll get back to work, now.’ The man who led me here greets me one last time. ‘Okay.’ I look around. ‘This is a nice place. I should ask to be transferred to here.’ The old man laughs. ‘Hah! There are more like you. Young men say that, but get bored within three days.’ I thank him and he leaves.

I start my search and pile up some folders I think could contain references to Ango. I gather the folders I know for sure are about Ango in my arms, sit down and open them. According to these, he once was an information broker and hacker. He did a lot of illegal money business in the name of the mafia, and his head is said to be full of information. There is nothing said about his fate as a Puer Magi in here. For these records, that was considered unimportant.

He stole money out of a puppet company of the mafia. Then, he and his work partners were chased into the night, a full six months long. Ango rendered himself relatively safe inside witch barriers, and considered the witches less deadly than the mob that was chasing him. In terms of witch elimination, Yokohama was at a peak back then.

Ango occasionally sent out false reports in order to delay getting caught. However, as the saying goes: ‘Honest lasts longest’, he eventually could not escape anymore and was brought before the mafia. His head full of information was precious and was subsequently used as an information agent. His second life had begun.

I lay some of the folders aside and open a new one. This one is more interesting than I initially thought.

Two years ago, he went to Europe. The goal was to negotiate with a local illegal car dealing thing. We did not hear anything from that two months long. He then went back to Yokohama. Nothing had changed, except for the fact that the car theft agency had been reported. This happened after a misunderstanding and a subsequent investigation. Everyone assumed he had been dragged into this.

However, seeing it now, it has an entirely different light on the matter.

No one knew what exactly he did there in Europe. Maybe his contact with Mimic was established there and became a double agent from then on. Maybe Mimic’s plan to crush the mafia was made back then.

I lay down the folders full of files and sigh deeply. I have the feeling that something, no, everything is wrong. Hmm. Ango firstly contracted, became a Puer Magi, then joined the mafia, then joined Mimic. After some time, conflict breaks out between Mimic and the mafia. Everything clashes almost too perfect. I feel far from relieved by this revelation.

I remember the time Ango was here, too. This is where I met him for the first time. Dazai was there too, in order to meet the new member he heard so much about. We had some idle chatter when we discovered that this place was a hiding place of a witch barrier. The three of us were caught and subsequently defeated the witch. There, we discovered the creepy true power of Ango, and that we can work together pretty well. Ever since then, we started fighting witches together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The saying 'Honest lasts longest' is based on a saying in my native language, 'Eerlijk duurt het langst', which means that no matter how much you lie, the truth will eventually come out.


	7. Unending Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger for abusive relationships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMXu4qpTTlk

Dazai walks down the stairs, into the dark basement. The air has become stale due to the consistent lack of fresh air, but he doesn’t care. What mattered for Dazai were the three corpses that were kept in there. He walks up to the pillar where the three are slumped like a bag of potatoes. They were from Mimic, Dazai knows.

‘An explanation. Now!’ he screams angrily when he sees it. ‘These three were brought in after being attacked by the gas in the casino, in order to be interrogated. There was a suicide pill behind their teeth, which has been removed ever since. One of them woke up earlier than expected. Before we could get the handcuffs, he was already transformed and grabbed his weapon. And then-’ The explanation of the henchman gets cut off.

‘I took care of him.’

A Puer Magi in black clothes answers. Dazai turns around. The Puer Magi has black hair, which ends he dyed white. Or at least, that is what Dazai thinks he did. His eyes are practically black holes, and his red Soul Gem shimmers on the back of his left hand. He tilts his head. ‘Is there a problem?’

‘No, there isn’t a problem!’ Dazai snarls, and launches himself forward before the Puer Magi noticed it. He grabs the collar of the Puer Magi, who gasps for air. ‘So you killed a possible source of information before he could tell us anything, then think you did right?’ He drops the Puer Magi, who struggles to prevent landing on his Soul Gem. ‘Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, you really outdid yourself this time!’ Dazai’s voice roars. The poor Puer Magi, apparently named Akutagawa, trembles and looks up at Dazai, who continues to insult him.

‘If you did not make that goddamn contract with the incubator, you’d be unable to kill them in one strike. I do not expect anything less of my subordinates. These soldiers are dead now.’, He gestures to the bodies, then talks on. ‘After painstakingly laying down traps, we finally caught something. Our one possible lead is gone now. If they were still alive, we could’ve gotten important information out of em! We’d possibly even find out their hideout, or the name of their leader! God damn it, we could have their next plans pinned down! What a great action!’

Dazai slams his fist in Akutagawa’s face, sending him flying once again. Although the young boy knows it’ll heal back later, he will never forget this. He lands head first on the concrete floor. ‘You must have thought I wanted excuses. Well, you know me longer than today, don’t you?’ Dazai faces one of his henchmen. ‘You. Lend me your gun.’ He grabs the gun his henchman gives him and takes some of the bullets out. There are three bullets left to shoot now.

‘Among my comrades, there’s one who doesn’t kill. Hell, he even takes care of orphans. If he would come across you, he would not hesitate, take you in and patiently teach you. That is the way of ‘good’. I hate it. Someone like me will do this.’

He aims at Akutagawa’s left hand. Three flashes light up the area.

Akutagawa is breathing heavily as he stops the bullets just in time. His powers granted him a shield, narrowly preventing him from being shot.

‘I thought that I taught you this before. This time, it finally succeeded. Congratulations.’ Dazai says sarcastically. ‘If you do something stupid like this again, I’ll hit you twice and shoot you with five bullets. Understood?’  

Akutagawa doesn’t even dare to retort. Dazai turns his back to him. ‘Good. Disciplining talentless Puer Magi ends here. Analyze those corpses. There may be a lead.’ ‘What part of them, sir?’ ‘Everything! Everything could be a lead! Don’t leave a stone unturned!’

One of the men mumbles. ‘Odasaku, eh. Forgive me, Dazai, but I saw him cleaning the office some time ago. I don’t think you should be friends with someone so low.’

‘Are you seriously criticizing my friendship with Odasaku? Do you think I and him cannot be friends?' The other subordinates nod as well. 'What kind of imbeciles are you?’ 

‘I am surrounded by idiots.’ Dazai lays his head in his hand, then turns his attention back to his subordinates. ‘Goddamn, you should see him when he’s angry. As for you, Akutagawa, I am sure you will never win against him.’ ‘We shall see about that.’ Akutagawa mutters. ‘Who do you think I am?’ Dazai ignores him. ‘Get to work.’


	8. Forbidden Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8nfmFPnDx4

I leave the accounting firm. I believe I found all information about Ango involving the firm. My head can only take in so much information at once.

On my way back, I walk through an old, now ruined building. My mind races in circles around the same bouts of stuff over and over again. His travel to Europe, him being a spy for Mimic...I can barely grasp the fact that it is all real. This is a thing that is happening now, these things really happened back then, and…

A strong magic signal pains my head. I flinch in pain. ‘Kyaah! What the hell…’ I transform. My Soul Gem is blinking hard. There is something around here, and it is damn strong. I step forward, and a glowing seal appears. A barrier. Should've known that. Judging from the strength of the signal, someone is inside other than the witch and familiars. I don’t hesitate and enter the barrier.

The first thing I notice is the cold - there is a significant drop in temperature when compared to outside. I don’t let it bother me and work my way into the inner, final room. The familiars are a little trickier than the ones before, but after a few blows, they fall too. When I am done clearing them for this area, I feel another magic signal. ‘What…’ It is not from the witch - furthermore, I recognize that specific kind of magic. I jump to the direction I thought I felt it coming from. It is very close to the inner room. I kill any familiar that comes my way, because I have a pretty strong suspicion.

I arrive at the source of the signal. ‘Ango…!’ I find him unconscious on the ground, and rush to free him when I spot something. ‘A Witch Kiss! Oh, Ango, it got you badly!’ I was initially planning to fight the witch together with Ango, but the Witch Kiss made me alter my plans. I need to get out of here. His Soul Gem is still there, but is clouding over. Oh god…

I pick up Ango’s unconscious body and attempt to make my way out. I run in the opposite direction I walked before, in order to find the exit when another vision appears.

_An attack. The way I was planning to go blows up, killing me._

I quickly take another path, while my former path explodes in a witch attack. That was real close. I dive to the exit and land on the grass outside. The Witch Kiss disappears. ‘Ango!’ I shout, but realize he must be in a catatonic state. I look around and spot an incubator. Good. I use my telepathy to overload Ango's brain, in the hopes of waking him up.

_wake up wake up wake up wake up_

He does so, finally. ‘Oda…?’ ‘I found you! God damn it, are you okay?’ ‘I...think so. Man, my mind feels strange…’ He stands up, still a bit weak on his feet. ‘Can be, I found you in a barrier with a Witch Kiss.’ 'A Witch Kiss...' He shakes his head in denial.

‘What does the leader know?’ I ask, referring to Mori. ‘Almost everything. He is the one who was ordering me to infiltrate into Mimic. This is a rather sensitive mission.’ I sigh. ‘How troublesome. So that is why he asked me to find you.’ ‘I’d rather report this back as soon as possible. The leader of Mimic is a dangerous Puer Magi. He wants to overthrow the mafia completely.’ ‘What’s his name?’ ‘Andre Gide. His contracting released a lot of anti-entropy in the world, and we do not want to anger him. His witch could possibly destroy the world. Don’t fight him, Oda.’

When he says that, something falls on the ground at my feet. It is some sort of brightly-colored ball. I kneel down and I curiously pick it up.

_Poison._

I gasp and drop the ball. The inside of my hand colors red from the poison. I look up at Ango, but my vision becomes hazy and darkness swallows me whole. ‘Ango...run! Run!’ I manage to utter. I see him being taken by the Black Ops Special Forces before I fall into the deep abyss.


	9. Mercy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs0whrEvG6g

Fourteen years ago.

The sound of rain was heard through the windows of the teahouse. I was inside, reading my favorite book. Next to me was a cup of my favorite tea. I could not imagine anything better than this.

My fourteen year old self was more innocent than me back then. Ever since I made a contract, I made full use of my magic powers and killed every magical boy or girl that came my way. The person who lend me that book quickly became one of my first victims.

After I had killed my daily witch, I went to the teahouse again and began reading the book again. It’s on that moment that I sat there and someone disturbed me. ‘You’re always reading that book.’, a male voice remarked. ‘It’s written _that_ well?’ I raised my head. A slim built man, dressed in a cloak, hat and cane was talking to me. ‘Yeah.’ I simply answered. ‘You’re a strange one. I know a lot more interesting books than that one.’ The man read the text on the back of the book. ‘If it is a part of a series, do you have the last part?’ I shook my head. ‘No, I don’t have it. A real shame, if you ask me.’ ‘Nah, not really. I’ve read the last volume. It’s terrible! You know that feeling when you read a real good book then reach a aclimatic ending?’ the man asked me. ‘I don’t believe you.’ I tilted my head. I couldn’t know - I hadn’t read the last part. ‘Then, you write the last part! Do better than the original!’ I gasped.

The idea of becoming a writer never crossed my mind until then. ‘Writing is describing the life and death of people. It is knowing what troubles the characters, and how they will resolve it. I believe you have that talent.’ A light shone in his eyes I never saw before. I had asked him his name, but I have long forgotten it.

The next day, when I arrived in that teahouse, a book was lying on the table I was sitting at the day before. There was a note on it.

‘Don’t regret it.’

I opened the book and started reading.

* * *

I wake up in a hospital bed, breathing heavily. Although I know I’d survive it due to my Soul being stashed away in a Gem, it was still a huge attack on my health. My arms are bandaged and my back still hurts from diving to that exit. I sigh.

I hear footsteps in the distance coming closer not long before Dazai walks in. Must be the visiting hour. ‘Ah, you woke up, Odasaku! How do you feel?’ He sits down in the chair at the end of the bed. ‘Like the worst hangover.’ I turn my head to face Dazai and tell him everything that happened. Dazai regularly nods during my explanation. ‘A Witch Kiss...poison...Andre Gide...hmm.’ He mumbles when I am done explaining. He stays silent for a bit. ‘What happens can be split into two categories. The witch attack, and the movements of Mimic.’

‘Are the Black Special Ops different from Mimic itself, then?’ I ask. ‘And by the way, do you have a Grief Seed for me? It’s dimming.’ Dazai grabs one from his pocket, cleans my Soul Gem and gives it to an incubator, who hops away. He then answers me. ‘Yes. In fact, this entire commotion is caused by three organizations - the mafia, Mimic and the Special Ops. We can ignore the last one of them for now. Mimic is the big fish we have to fry. While you were healing, six shops have been bombed. The damage increases as we talk.’

Some shops ask for protection, which they get from the mafia. In return we ask for charges. When these get attacked, we will lose their good faith and support. Oh shit. I think of the small shop with the kids.

‘The smaller shops now line up at the back. In those regards, Mimic is a very specific enemy. They are quick and attack precisely without being heard. That is why they are often called ‘Grey Spectres.’ It’s like we’re chasing ghosts, I realize. Dazai continues. ‘I still don’t entirely grasp their style of attack. But I do know their goal. If Akutagawa leads, the enemy teams have been grouped to retaliate...but, since we do not know what exactly is the power of the leader, it is risky.’ I had told him that Gide’s wish must’ve been powerful.

‘Eh, about Akutagawa…’ I ask. ‘He’s a sword without a scabbard. That Puer Magi made a good wish, but the control over his power is subpar. When he finally learns that, he will be one of our best Puer Magi in store.’ ‘So he’s that good?’ ‘When I first met him, I saw his potential like an incubator does. He has this thirst for destruction, which is something that will be in good use in the mafia.’ Before Akutagawa happened, Dazai had never taken in a subordinate by himself. This is, to put it softly, extraordinary. Dazai jumps to another topic again.

‘Returning to the main task at hand. Mimic is our main enemy. The executives have been talking, and we concluded that we will use all our forces to eliminate them. The motif of the Ops are still unclear, but judging by the way they treat you, they shouldn’t come with their fangs immediately bared.’

I sit up and move to the edge of the bed. Although my body still feels numb, my Soul Gem is clear thanks to Dazai. ‘You aren’t thinking of leaving, are you?’ he asks me. ‘You aren’t that kind of person who thinks about leaving to fight.’ I shake my head. ‘I, too, am a part of the mafia. I am a force.’ I put on my coat hanging on the wall. ‘I am uninterested...!’ I then transform.

‘I want to repay the favours of two people…!’ I walk towards the main exit of the hospital. Dazai tosses me something. ‘The car keys.’, he explains. ‘As for forgetting, the other party doesn’t know what they lend you.’ I look at them and push the door open. ‘Who do you owe, Odasaku?’

I do not answer.


	10. Absolute Configuration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBlj0IyB3pk

The two sides meet again, this time in front of the art museum. The men from Mimic, dressed in the trademark grey cloaks, and the Port Mafia in the almost stereotypical sunglasses and suits. Mimic has nine men defending their turf, whereas the Mafia has four men left - a huge advantage at Mimic’s side. And because Mimic is going for a crossfire approach, the teams are split. The commander of one of the teams shouts for a ceasefire, and almost enter the museum.

That is the last thing they do.

‘Have a little appreciation for art, will you?’

Something flashes by, quicker than they eye can see, and splits the soldier’s heads from their bodies. A Puer Magi had arrived and transformed. Not in a sequence of dazzling light like most do, but in a black shadow. Akutagawa stepped forward and morphs his coat into three sharp blades.

The few soldiers that were able to escape his attack, are swiftly disarmed by his magic. ‘Guns are the weapons of fools.’ He sighs and takes on another assault, this time against an automatic weapon. Before the bullets can reach him, they have already been sliced. The others are deflected by his shield. He then starts to turn around, ravaging by using his coat as a weapon. It is almost like he is dancing. _I can do this all day!_

‘Retreat!’

The remaining soldiers don’t lose their sight on Akutagawa, but walk backwards slowly.

‘Hey, you cowards! Come and fight me! Hey!’ He makes eye contact with one of his subordinates, making them start firing again.

‘More, I say? What is this kind of snail’s pace?’

Right at that point, Mimic’s cargo truck stops in front of the museum. Akutagawa grins when several soldier step out of the truck. A flare is fired from the truck, covering the ground in a red sheen. ‘Eh?’ He waits for action to happen, when the soldiers kneel down with their hands behind their head. ‘You’re surrendering?’ he utters in confusion when…

A Puer Magi steps forward. His hair is pure white and his skin is light brown. Akutagawa thinks it is a weird combination. His Puer Magi costume is black for the largest part like Akutagawa’s, but has a lot more red mixed in than his own. It is asymmetrical - his right arm is covered, but not his left. His Soul Gem is a diamond he wears like a dog’s nameplate on a collar. His eyes are red, and the coldest Akutagawa has ever seen.

‘And you are…?’

The Puer Magi tilts his head, but doesn’t answer.

‘Commander...the leader of Mimic.’

The squad immediately takes aim. The leader doesn’t budge. ‘The commander’s surrendering first? Hah, that’s unbelievable. I probably would not think of this if I didn’t see this happening right in front of my eyes!’ Akutagawa uses his magic to restrain him.

‘Report your name.’

‘My name is Andre Gide. I have come...to fight you, Nyx.’

‘Well, well, well, that is a big honour. Thing is, I don’t believe you. Who is this ‘Nyx’ you speak of, anyway? Moreover, it’s not the first person I’ve heard prompting that.’ He leans close to Gide. ‘Do you know why I haven’t cut off your head yet?’ ‘Because you were taught?’

Akutagawa punches Gide. Because he cannot dodge, the full weight damages his face. Blood splatters once again on the floor. ‘I didn’t do it because I heard you were a powerful Puer Magi!’ In one swift move, he snatches Gide’s gun, pointing it at the leader himself. ‘No matter how many witches and people I kill, _he_ will never notice me. Show me that magic power of yours! If you are as good as the stories tell, let me kill you!’

‘So this is what you used to look like. Impressive power. But not enough.’

He answers with a flash of a blade. ‘Used to look like? What the hell are you talking about?’ Gide could not dodge for the same reasons, and falls forward. It only cut off a few hairs. The gun Akutagawa was holding slips out of his fingers, firing a shot. He uses his powers to catch it before it hits Gide, and frees his left hand in the process. Gide picks up a second gun and aims it at Akutagawa. He chooses his chance in the, for him most favorable way and shoots a mafia member with an automatic weapon in the shoulder. Due to the shock, shots are fired once again. One of them lands in Akutagawa’s arm, the others hit the subordinates.

‘What-?’

With his arm shot, Akutagawa changes his focus to defense. Gide opens fire, and in order to deflect bullets once again, Akutagawa sacrifices restraining Gide for a shield. He notices that every bullet fired at Gide is dodged easily with the smallest of efforts.

‘What the heck? Your magical power granted by your contract is-’

One of the bullets finally pierces through the defense Akutagawa has put up, hitting his abdomen. Almost instinctively, his coat forms into some sort of temporal bandage to stop the bleeding. Due to this, Akutagawa slowly loses the hold he has over the situation.

‘That goddamn contract of yours…’

Gide sighs. ‘I should be saying that, Nyx. Too bad I can easily you aren’t that experienced yet. If you were, who knows. Tables may have turned. But as of now, you are too overconfident.’

‘Stop calling me Nyx!!’ Akutagawa screams and launches another attack. Gide shoots the black cloth before it can hit him. ‘You’re…visionary…?’

Gide tilts his head backwards and then smirks. ‘We are Mimic. The Grey Spectres.’

‘Tell me…!’ Akutagawa is breathing heavily. ‘Why are you doing this…? What...is your motive?’

‘There _is_ no motive you speak of. We seek the salvation of our poor souls. We tried to find it in the Order of the Clock Tower. We were denied. Is there anything else to say, Nyx?’

Akutagawa nods. ‘Well...since you already got this far...do me a favor and...KILL ME!!!’

Gide does not hesitate. ‘I feel you...and I am sorry for not being the person you hoped.’ He aims at Akutagawa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might know why Gide calls Akutagawa 'Nyx'. Hint: it ties in with him saying: 'So this is how you used to look like'. The last sentence also sounds a lot like someone breaking up. Do with this what you want.


	11. I was waiting for this moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvg5C7antFM

My bullet hits his gun, dropping it on the ground. That seems to come as a surprise to the guy who claimed to be from Mimic. I am also surprised, because he made a similar dodging motion before I hit him. I don’t have time for that, I keep taking aim at my enemy and likewise, he does too. I dodge all the bullets before they hit me due to my powers, and, frankly enough, my enemy does the exact same thing. Huh. From the moment I arrived, I thought we look strangely alike, but this is becoming ridiculous. I was initially planning to disarm him, but cancel that plan, I guess.

I relay my focus on the other mafia members. I spot a Puer Magi in a black coat who I remember as being named Akutagawa. ‘We’re getting the hell outta here!’ I grab him and run towards the back road. He resists by screaming, but I ignore it. He isn’t that heavy anyways. I wonder why.

The welcome committee exists of firing Mimic soldiers. Having already foreseen this happening, I put down Akutagawa on another side of the road. His wound reopens, but I have obviously no time to help him. I dodge my way out of the line of fire and fire some intimidation shots. I dive into the plantation next to the road. I am not entirely safe here, but it is worth a try. I just don’t hope the road isn’t a dead end.

‘I’m getting out of here, I’m sorry. You’re a Puer Magi, you can’t die of exsanguination.’ Akutagawa nods as his wound is still bleeding. ‘I’m Oda Sakunosuke, a friend of Dazai.’

The young Puer Magi is still attempting to heal the wound, but although he seems weak, I quickly dodge the incoming blade. His expression is set on killing me. ‘You said you are a friend of _him_ , huh?’ His black eyes glare at me. ‘Yes.’ I answer. ‘He was the one who said I couldn’t win against you in a thousand years. If I can’t have Gide, I can at least have you, huh?’

I dodge the three blades again, but the tree behind me doesn’t have the same luck and goes down with a splitting sound. ‘When we're all busy clouding our Soul Gems, they will surely reach us.’

I keep my body low, practically touching the ground. Akutagawa uses again a chunk out of his magic and I hear trees being dismembered again. I fire again, and Akutagawa uses the same shielding trick. I know this, and use the nick of time to slip away to his side. I kick his already wounded arm and take a look at his Soul Gem. I can imagine the barrier, it has progressed this far. He utters a witch-like shout: ‘Why won’t he look at me!’ I receive the vision of Akutagawa as a witch. It looks horrendous and is way stronger than he is now. I quickly cleanse his Soul Gem with a Grief Seed I meant to use for myself. Phew.

‘You…’ ‘I saved you from a transformation into a witch.’ I look at him and notice something clicks in him. Before I can ask what it is, I see that they have reached us.

‘I haven’t introduced myself to you, did I? The leader points to me. ‘I am Andre Gide, the leader of this army of tortured Souls. You must be Caecilia.’ _Caecilia_? I kind of understand now what clicked in Akutagawa.

_He fires, and I dodge with ease. I once again receive an image of my Soul Gem shattering. I move the opposite way of the image._

I am dazed when I look at Gide.

**He never fired the goddamn gun?!**

‘I ehm. Guess you made the same wish as me? You also wished to…’ I and Gide utter the same sentence at once. ‘I knew you’d dodge to the right, so I adjusted my aim. But you knew that too, so you dodged to the other side.’ I get it. In theory, we could keep ‘dancing’ like that without ever firing a shot.

‘You are the only one who can defeat me, Caecilia. You are the only one who understands me. Only you can stop this war.’ He steps forward. ‘I will not be stopping you.’ I think of my old dream and lower my gun. Gide looks up in surprise. ‘Huh…? You’re a mafia member, right?’ ‘Yes. But you are not a familiar, and you aren’t a witch either. Meaning I won’t kill you.’ Gide momentarily stands there in stunned silence, but then intends to use his gun again. ‘...that’s stupid.’ He takes aim at me, fires, and I know what will happen. I cannot go anywhere - if I lean back or move to one side, I die. I desperately duck forward to the ground. The bullet grazes my skin. Phew.

The mob starts firing at the same time. That’s easy. I roll in the dirt and fire a few intimidation shots. ‘Missing on purpose, huh?’ Gide’s expression darkens. ‘I came to Yokohama to _die_ , Caecilia! I don’t want to live anymore and I don’t want to become a witch! So take mercy on me and KILL ME!!’

I shake my head. ‘No. One day, when I leave the mafia, I will move away. I want to become a writer, and in order to do that, I am convinced I cannot kill people. I want to have a clear mind!’

Everything is silent for a moment. Gide sighs. ‘We are not among the living anymore. We have become undead sorcerers, with our Soul being contained like this!’ Gide fires, this time at the still weakened Akutagawa. In such a short time, I cannot pull him away, so I take the bullet, knowing it’ll be caught in the bulletproof vest. Even if it does, it still hurts like hell.

‘Then it can’t be helped. You don’t understand me. At all. I will make you! Do you hear that? I will make you understand me, Caecilia!’ Gide then disappears with the remaining soldiers in the cargo truck.

‘Look forward to it.’


	12. Uncertainty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8iJwVq5Brc, alternatively https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KkrndXiWQY

The day after, Mimic stays silent. After having cleansed my Soul Gem and healed back, I meet up with Dazai again. We have some idle banter before he leaves.

I lock myself inside my room that night. I need to think. Something might be happening soon. I don’t know what it is, but I just know it.

Dazai is calling me. He asks me if he can talk some things over with me and enjoy the night. I agree and get dressed.

‘It’s a nice night.’, Dazai smiles. ‘The mafia rules!’

We walk in the darkened streets of Yokohama. The people still up at this time, have ties with the mafia. Dazai waves at them. ‘Were you planning to go somewhere, Dazai?’ ‘Meeting someone. And also...damn, you had the honors of meeting the leader! Nice.’ ‘Nah, not at all.’, I retort, ‘They’re just a bunch of weirdos who want to die.’ Dazai shrugs. ‘Still, we cannot ignore the way they’ve been treating you. The leader’s power is annoying, we know now that we cannot do any kind of surprise attack. I will increase your security. Your house should be guarded, for example.’ ‘How long will this ordeal last?’ I ask, becoming fed up with it. ‘I have no idea. As of now, we need more inside information.’ ‘Speaking about inside information…’, I know I am going to hit a somewhat sensitive topic now. ‘We only have Ango. He has lived as a double agent for some time now.’ Dazai agrees. ‘Is there any way to find him?’ ‘There is.’

‘Huh.’ ‘Well, in fact, he is waiting for us. Here we are.’

It’s the Lupin Bar at Ginza.

I sigh. Dazai and I walk up to the same place where we always sit - next to Ango. He looks up. ‘How did you know I’d be here?’ Dazai smiles. ‘You dropped this handkerchief at the barrier exit. A napkin from the bar was inside. This was too big of a thing to ignore. Sometimes, old methods aren’t necessarily worse.’

‘That is true. I must be very fortunate, being able to be visited by old friends in the usual place.’ he answers. ‘For an undercover officer, you sure are sentimental!’ Dazai bluntly remarks. Ango cracks a smile. ‘...only you…!’ ‘But you did not entirely enter the mafia with a clear mind either. Your true affiliation is in the Government!’ He had been monitoring all this time…? After a long pause, Ango answers. ‘That is also right.’ ‘In this war, the Government’s Department was not going to survive entirely. Since it is their job to merely _regulate_ the stuff, they cannot act directly. So that is why they sent a spy.’

I am confused. All the hassle we went through was partially caused by the Government?

‘But then, Mimic appeared. You went undercover for a second time, now under Mimic. And the Special Ops were stand-by to help you!’ Ango smiles again. ‘For all I do, the paycheck isn’t worth it.’ he says. ‘So...he was a _triple_ agent?’ I ask. Dazai nods. ‘That’s all I found. Let’s move on and have a drink!’

The drinks arrive. Normally, we would have toasted. But this time, we don’t.

No one feels the need to talk. The stuff that has been happening is too heavy.

‘Did you come to say that we will still be forming a team together, Dazai?’ Ango finally speaks up. ‘To ask insider information about Mimic.’ Ango mutters something, then asks me. ‘There was a report brought out by the Department. You know what the power is of the leader, don’t you?’

I nod and tell him. Ango sighs. ‘We cannot do anything about that. It is going to be hard.’

‘At the end, it is the same and it depends on our technique. When I was fighting with Gide and we discovered our powers, it was real weird! It was like...everything happened at once!’ I explain in detail what happened. Ango nods. ‘You and Gide made the exact same wish, didn’t you?’ ‘Yes, so it appears.’ I answer. ‘In the rare case two contracted meet, having made the same wish, their results start to clash. You deduced that, in theory, you two could do this the entire day without a shot being fired.’ ‘Yeah. I thought of something like that before.’ ‘We only recently started to investigate it. We don’t know enough about it since there are so many different wishes. I shouldn’t be saying this, though. If they find out about this, I may very well need to flee.’

‘If you are still alive by then.’

A silence arrives. Said silence is so cold, one could build an igloo in it. Dazai still smiles. ‘What? Isn’t it obvious? An organization with ears and eyes everywhere. You cannot possibly hope to beat them in a eavesdropping beat-off. They are simply the best there is.’ I glare at Dazai. ‘Do you want a fight?’ Ango doesn't react. Dazai stays silent too.

‘It’s all my fault. Do what you want, I won’t stop you.’ ‘Ango. On my command, my subordinates will have surrounded the area. They aren’t here yet. Go, before I change my mind.’ Ango wants to say something, I can see, but chooses not to. A wise choice, in my opinion. ‘You’re a Puer Magi. You should care about other things. I’m not angry, I knew it would happen. We all know that the things we want to hold on to eventually fade.’

I have never heard Dazai talk like this. I don’t know if I like it. ‘I am like any Puer Magi. I cannot live in the light. I have always hidden myself in a dark corner of the government. But, someday, when things get better, can I meet you again?’

I shake my head. ‘Just stop it, Ango. Forget it.’

Slowly and with tears in his eyes, Ango realizes that we cannot be friends anymore. He stands up, without words, then walks away.

I would never see him again.

Carefully and precise, I unfold the photo we made a few days ago. We were smiling so happily back then.

The Buraiha is scattered, and there is no one left to pick up the pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Lupin Bar at Ginza really exists, I recommend visiting it if you like this story.


	13. I never win

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBk7pV4G7f4

The sun shines the day after. In the light, it is like the waging war takes place on another planet. I have brought a lot of candy and some toys - the kids must have missed my regular visits. They sure won’t like Dazai’s shelter plans. I wonder if candy and toys will ease their pains.

My mind drifts off to the words of Gide. ‘I will make you understand me, Caecilia!’ It still echoes in my head. This war seems endless and it is pointless. We spend our magic on fighting eachother instead of slaying witches. Isn’t there some sort of peace possible?

Then the kids. As soon as they can take care of themselves, I will leave the mafia. They will have time to become what they want to be. One boy said he wanted to join the mafia like me. I just sighed and tried to bring him another idea.

I arrive at the office. The temporary shelter is a company run by the mafia. It is next to the sea, and surrounded by a common carpark. A greenish yellow bus is parked there. I heard Dazai chased all workers out.

I mentally run off a list of which stuff to give to which kid as I walk down the corridor. I open the door Dazai told me.

In front of me, a chaos appears. Tables are turned over, there are marks of something heavy being dragged across the floor, and there is a hole in the wall. Crayons have been broken. I drop my stuff out of shock and dash out of the room to get outside. The greenish yellow bus drives off as I notice that the kids are in there.

I frantically chase the bus. To do so, I transform. It doesn’t matter if they see it. My enhanced body allows me to pick up speed and to do some parkour, but I don’t have time to draw a weapon due to that. This is ridiculous.

I know where it’s heading. Right in front of the bridge, there is a big turn. Further up, there is a highway. I have to catch them before that happens.

I use my contracted body to jump on a nearby bridge. I carefully watch the traffic to time my dive. After a few seconds, I land on the roof of a red bus driving in front of the bus. My knees and hands hurt, but that doesn’t matter. Maybe they are damaged, but it will heal back. Hell, _everything_ will heal back as long as it isn’t done to my Soul Gem.

I can see the opponents - Mimic soldiers. They are more powerful than me in the state I’m now in. They have decided to crush me instead and crash the bus into the van. Before it happens, I rip the rear view mirror out of the van. I still have in my hand when I land. I throw it towards the driver of the bus, hitting him full in his face. He hits the brakes.

When it finally stops, I have an eerie hunch. The driver is carrying some sort of transmitter.

_I will make you understand me, Caecilia._

Before my mind can put two and two together, the bus explodes. Flames rise up from the wretched thing. I start to cry. _Why_? I transform back and look at the gem in the ring. A little bit of dark red taints my normally bright red Soul Gem. _Oh no._

I suddenly hear someone screaming.

* * *

Meanwhile at a sightseeing boat, Ango and Mori Ougai meet each other again. ‘Long time no see. How does it feel, finally being able to return to your original job?’ The green Puer Magi doesn’t answer. The mafia guards secure the place, but they don’t carry weapons. The Department has a second delegation in the form of chief Taneda.

‘Thank you for coming. Let me repeat: this is an unofficial meeting. Everything said is confidential.’ he speaks. This meeting is done without any trust in eachother. ‘Forgive me, mister Taneda, but Elise was complaining about ice cream the other day. Are there any ice cream shops you recommend?’ Mori languidly asks. Taneda laughs. ‘Haha, I will bring some from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In turn, they will be very happy with your shattered Soul Gem, too!’ Tensions rise and sparks almost fly. Mori just smiles.

‘Anyway, let’s stop dawdling and get to the main tasks at hand. The first one is not to harm or interfere with Ango. The second is extermination of the illegally immigrated organization known as Mimic.’ Taneda gets back on topic. ‘That first thing should not be a problem at all. I actually am thankful for having him under my command. As for the second thing, I cannot say for sure.’, Mori answers. ‘They are ghosts. Due to them, we constantly risk witching out. Then, the requests on the Port Mafia’s behalf…’ Mori hands a black envelope to Taneda.

* * *

Everything passes in front of my eyes. What happened to me? What happened to them? Is this what fate has planned for me to be? I am no longer what I used to be. The words of that man who spoke to me all those years ago have long faded away. Tears stream across my face. I cannot fathom why I am still standing here. With pain in my heart, I turn my back to the wreckage and start running towards the western restaurant.

When I enter it, everything is silent. Behind the counter, I find the boss. Dead. I quietly lay him down on the ground when I open the backroom. It is a secret backroom I only have access to. The key is my Soul Gem in ring form. In there, I have a stash of weapons in case of emergency. But this isn’t just an emergency. It is more than just that. I open a map I had inside my pocket. A red X is drawn in a circle. I know what it is. I fold it back and put it back into my pocket. I transform. This time, it feels longer than usual before I am met with the familiar feel of my Puer Magi robes.

To be sure, I hide a bulletproof vest underneath the seer’s clothing. I know my healing factor, but I want nothing to be uncertain by this point. I open the stash of weapons in the wall. It is finally time. I have broken my code. I walk into the old room of the kids and wish them goodbye, one by one. _I will avenge you._

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Irony, isn't it, that the same song is used by two different characters, who both decide to leave their old resolve and as such progressively become more violent, only to keep failing. Two different characters who decide to do something for their loved ones and alter their personality, but never win.


	14. Army of Clients

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6WSD59nYAU

I walk out of the western restaurant and there is someone outside. ‘What are you doing, Odasaku? Why are you transformed?’ He points to my clothes. ‘I am going out! I can’t take this anymore!’ I clench my teeth. ‘Whatever you do, you-’ I finish Dazai’s sentence. ‘I know, I can’t get them back. But I can take revenge.’ ‘Odasaku!’ ‘I thought that if I didn’t kill anyone, I’d be able to live my dream eventually! But it isn’t true at all. I only have one thing on my mind - avenging them! Nothing matters anymore, Dazai.’ Dazai takes a glance at the Soul Gem between my eyes. It is darkening at a slow pace. I know this, but I don’t care. I don’t have time to think about it. I push him out of the way and start to run. ‘Odasaku!’ I ignore him.

I run into the city. Everyone is going their own way like usual, it is rather crowded. As such, I don’t notice bumping into someone. He is a somewhat strange looking Puer Magi. Unlike every Puer Magi I’ve encountered, his costume exists of white as a base color - there is no black to be seen. He also wears a lot of other colors - light red, green, and purple. _Huh_. ‘Ouch!’, he screams arrogantly. ‘Can’t you see I was standing here?’ ‘Ah, I am so sorry...are you from the police?’ I ask. I know, it’s a strange question, but I can’t be sure. ‘The police…? Hah, don’t put me on par with those people! No, my name is Edogawa Ranpo, the best detective in the world! No policeman can match me!’ I soon have enough of his puffery. ‘I’ll get going, I have important business to attend to!’ And I run off again. The youth stares at me with a strange look. Something in me says he will remember this short meeting.

I keep running and eventually come across some sort of bungalow. This is the place. I see a few Mimic soldiers and walk up to them. ‘Could I ask you something?’ Surprised with the deceptively casual tone of my voice, they look up. I have already fired two shots. I come close to the bungalow and kill the guard. Due to the sound of the guard being killed, more soldiers appear. I react quickly, killing all three of them. I light a cigarette and blow out the fumes. My hands are stained, and my Soul, corrupted. It is no different from before. My killing intent is not rooted in my hands, nor in the weapons I carry. It is in my Soul, locked away in a Gem, placed between my eyes.

The stream of soldiers is almost unending. With every shot fired, it gets noisier in here. Not only the gunshots, but also screams and footsteps are the source of the sound. I press my back against the pillar and knock on the wooden doors. With shots loud enough to split my ears, the doors are shot to pieces by me. I still raise my gun and observe the scene. I am just waiting...five...ten...twelve...Right at the moment the soldiers replace their magazines, I throw a grenade and watch it explode on a safe distance. The insides are burnt to a fine crisp. Both guns equipped, I run into the bungalow.

Sparks fly. I duck towards the ground and fire two shots. The light of the gunfire briefly lights up the room. I dodge the bullets of the submachine guns by using my powers. I fire again. Silence. That was all, so it seems. I had killed everyone in the area. I look around. The bungalow has a second floor, which I am heading for as of now. I change the magazine and climb the stairs.

I can see four soldiers coming my way. They wield guns suited for this distance. I dive forward and fire again. One of them immediately dies. I grab his body as to use him as a shield and fire two more shots. The second and the third one go down easy enough. I dump the ‘shield’ on the ground and kill the fourth soldier. I then run back to downstairs. Or, what is left from that. Bullet holes rid the entire building, and silence returns once again. There are no survivors by now.

The end of the corridor leads to the courtyard. I am done fighting in a small room; let’s head to somewhere more spacious. I raise my guns, but god, I screwed up. That was the trigger move. The courtyard is ridden full of remote detoned mines. Since my power can only see a few seconds in the future, it is not always helpful.

I jump forward forcefully. The blow of the mine next to me hits me in full, sending me flying backwards. I quickly get up again when my power lends me another vision of a surprise attack, but I am barely in state of a counterattack. A stinging pain hits my abdomen. That is the sharpnel from before. I ignore it. My Soul Gem isn’t hit, I am still alive.

Like I saw, soldiers jump out of the windows, sending glass shards down the courtyard. I fire two shots, killing two of them. Then, I fire twice again. This time lower, taking care of some in the area. The other soldiers still alive take aim at me. The glass shards fall on the ground - all of this is happening in mere seconds. I turn my body so my chest is facing upwards in order to kill some of the soldiers released in the surprise attack. I then take a quick run and fall to the ground again to dodge some other bullets narrowly. I then cross both hands, releasing two bullets at once.

In all chaos, I missed one person.

I press my hand against the floor and dodge again. Said floor is littered with glass, but I don’t care. I sweep at the leg of my enemy, causing him to fall. This one looks more officially and proper than the others, and he is wearing a different uniform as well. He might be the deputy commander. I want to use my gun to aim for his throat, but he pushes it out of my hands with his submachine gun. He takes me into close combat. If he pushes my shoulder further, I will be in the hospital for some time.

However, someone who knows me shouldn’t take me in close combat. I had intended this situation all along! With my other hand, I fire the leftover gun and let all the bullets hit the ground. The man loses strength and one of the bullets hit his throat, and he falls to the ground. ‘Kya…’ I look down on him - he is still conscious. ‘Do you want me to kill you?’ I ask. ‘Ple...ase!’ he mutters. ‘Any last words?’ ‘Th...ank you...for being...willingly...to fight…’ I put the gun against his head and release the bullet.

‘The commander is a...head...please save him…’


	15. Flame of Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVQJFJArbWI
> 
> (I mainly associate it with Gide)

Dazai, meanwhile, is somewhere else entirely. The elevator he is standing on slowly reaches the top of the building. The penthouse of Mori Ougai. It finally stops ascending and Dazai walks out. The guards let him in and he is met with the mafia boss. ‘Do you know why I came here, boss?’ Dazai asks. Mori nods while Dazai sits down. ‘Sure. There must be some sort of urgent business going on, I reckon.’ He could not be more right than he was. ‘There is, yes.’ Dazai answers. ‘Whatever you are going to say, I will grant it to you. Just say it. Even if it was the half of my territory, I will give it to you.’ _That sounds awfully familiar_ , Dazai thinks. ‘Okay. Odasaku is rushing into the base of Mimic as of now. I suppose we mobilize the executive unit to save Odasaku.’ ‘Sounds okay.’ Mori leans back in his chair. ‘I am asking this because I have already sent some mobile troops to assist. But it is simply not enough. Furthermore, I have a hunch. Last time I saw Odasaku, he was preparing for the raid. I’d say his Soul Gem was about 1/4th clouded.’ Mori sighs deeply. ‘He is a low-ranking junior member. Is this worth it?’ Dazai glares at him with deadly eyes. ‘Of course it is.’

A silence falls. Mori speaks up. He grabs the black envelope. Dazai gasps.

‘Let me guess, he doesn’t want anyone’s help, in that case?’ Dazai tries to reply, but doesn’t find the words. ‘Look. I am at the head of the entire mafia. But that also means I have to care about the wishes of the lower ranking members. If he doesn’t want help, I am the person to obey. Do you get me?’

Dazai stands up and turns tail. ‘Where are you going?’ Mori asks with a strict tone in his voice. ‘To find Odasaku.’ He ignores any other words Mori says, and heads back.

* * *

I reach a banquet room. Expecting it to be filled by soldiers, I draw my weapon.

‘Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains as a single seed. But if it dies…’

Only Gide is standing in front of the oak doors. He is transformed, and his Soul Gem is as tainted as mine. ‘If it dies, it bears many fruit.’ I know that saying too. He looks up. There are no traps, hidden soldiers or anything else. I aim at his Soul Gem. All I have to do is pull the trigger. His witch could possibly doom us all. ‘I did something horrible to those children.’ I fire, and Gide moves to the side, dodging it. ‘But it seems it was for something, after all.’

He starts to walk along the wall, and I do too. I fire again, and he does the same trick. This is starting to get old. ‘You are the exact same as me, Caecilia.’ I clench my teeth. He then suddenly summons two guns. ‘Welcome to my world.’ I do not budge. ‘Even our names are similar. Caecilia and Cassandra…’ He smiles.

_He fires his guns - two shots. Heart. Soul Gem._

I just need to dodge. A quick rundown rules ‘moving to the side’ and ‘down’ out. I know what to do. I fire my guns too, and sparks fly again. The bullets from Gide barely hit me. We are getting closer and closer, until we are practically at eachother’s neck. There is barely room to dodge. Still, I try. I move my face to the left in order to dodge the bullet from the right and block the other with the handle of the gun. Due to the shock, the gun falls out of my hand. I am at a disadvantage now. However…

I still have aimed the other gun at Gide. I fire it, and he dodges again - but not enough. It hits his arm, knocking the gun he was holding out of his hand. ‘Kyaah!’ He jumps backwards.

‘How does that feel, huh?’ I flash a sadistic grin. He does the same. ‘It feels like despair...the very best thing!’

* * *

The guards stop Dazai from leaving. One of them points his gun to his forehead. He doesn’t react. ‘The tea isn’t ready. Sit.’ Mori points to the chair in front of him. ‘He needs me.’ Dazai mutters, then sits down.

‘I had been thinking. You know, these three organizations. The one inbetween all of them is Ango. I thought it was all the plan of the Department. They would sit back and watch the fight between us and Mimic unfold. But I was wrong.’

‘Go on.’ Mori is interested in the story Dazai is telling. ‘It was you. You talked with the Department on the negotiation table. You knew Ango worked for the Department all along and sent him to Mimic in order to retrieve insider information. Mimic is a dangerous enemy. They won’t listen to us. They only want to fight. So if this was going on any further, things would escalate. Or at least, that is what the Department thought would happen. And then the flames would get fanned by leaking information through Ango. As long as Mimic falls into the trap, the mafia wouldn’t have a thing to worry about. So they instructed Ango to fight. That’s it.’

‘That’s...kinda overestimating me, but still right. It will be troublesome, yes.’ Mori rolled his eyes, then nodded. ‘You were the person painting the big picture. You were the one making such a complicated plan, because that envelope is worth it.’ Dazai pointed at the envelope on Mori’s desk. ‘Living with the Department is like sleeping with a tiger. This envelope is the result of our agreement so we don’t have to do that any longer.’

Dazai opens the envelope. In it is a certificate. In beautiful calligraphy, the important words are set black on white. Dazai reads all kinds of words new to him, like ‘Adjuster’. ‘This is…’

‘This is the Magic User Business Permit.’


	16. Nightmare Ballet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWqq_jsFOkg
> 
> (Probably an in-universe soundtrack - it fits so well and its title is so appropriate for what happens)

The hall is filled with loud noise of the exploding bombs and explosives. Gide aims at me, but I knock his gun away using my elbow. The bullet crashes into one of the fancy crystal chandeliers instead. Damn, way to appreciate art.

Our distance has been closed again. This is a dangerous, lethal dance. Countless flashes of light are created from our smoking guns, as we fight in perfect synchronization. We change magazines at the exact same time. Or at least, we try to. Gide attempts to change his spare magazine, but I wave my right arm to prevent it. Metal scratches in his face, leaving a trail of blood. Despite that, he still finishes loading. He turns around in a bit to obstruct his shooting actions, but I try and elbow him after half a turn. He ducks to dodge, while I finish reloading too.

We point our guns at eachother at the same time, using our left hand to grab the right hand of our enemy.  _Huh_. Our free hands grab eachothers gun. If I try to free my other hand, he will take the split second to shoot. The fragile balance forces us to talk. ‘Why did you stop killing, Caecilia?’ ‘Why do you seek the battlefield, _Cassandra_?’ Hah, what he does I can do too now, since I know his true name.

Right then, I hear approaching footsteps. ‘Your subordinates?’ ‘Your colleagues?’ We blurt out our words at the same time. Judging the sound, it’s around and about ten people. If they are Mimic soldiers, I’m not able to handle it. Then, I’d kick Gide out of the way in order to shift my focus. There is a fifty percent chance, and because of that, I already push away his wrist. The people barge in and once again, loud noise fills the hall. Explosives fall and bullets are fired, but none of them hit me. Thanks to both our contracts, we already knew who would come in.

It is a delegation of both Mimic soldiers and mafia members. They immediately start shooting at eachother. I tug at Gide’s Puer Magi costume, and he does the same. We turn half a round and use that force to fire at our own enemy soldiers.

This hall  _should_ be used for banquets.

Now we are standing here, fighting eachother in perfect timing. We are both at the edge of becoming a witch. But we also both ignore that fact for the time being. ‘How is it, Caecilia?’ I know he will ask that. ‘What are you referring to?’ There is just so many things that vague question could be about. ‘This world...is what I sought after. The place where I would finally meet my end.’ In actuality, neither of us ever uttered a thing. We both see layers upon layers of the future, only being able to understand eachother via our powers. It is some sort of telepathy, you could say. And so, we continue to have a conversation in the silence.

‘I wanted to become a writer. Someone urged me to do that.’ ‘Oh, really? A writer? If it’s you, it should be possible.’ ‘Yeah.’ In an alternate timeline, maybe. ‘Someone said to me that the last part of the trilogy I was reading, was bad. I didn’t know, of course. So he gave me the last part.’ ‘And what did you think?’ ‘Well..’

* * *

‘You had planned to obtain this permit for years, didn’t you? Two years ago, Ango disappeared into Europe. You used Ango to bait them to come here. The mystery behind them immigrating into Yokohama so easily only has one answer: The Port Mafia. You specifically brought the organization into here so we’d be able to obtain that permit.’ Dazai finally falls silent.


	17. This is my despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62OvVXiuTu4

‘But, Dazai. Let me ask you one thing. Is there anything wrong I’ve done?’ Mori asks, and Dazai stays silent. ‘The Government already accepted our illegal activities. The circle is already round. Now Oda is taking care of them. He’s simply cleaning them up.’ Dazai trembles. ‘I...just...I just can’t accept this! The one who leaked the shelter location to Mimic was you, too! You’d know that is a triggering move to get Oda fighting them. You specifically did that to _Oda_ , because we both know he is the only one to counter Gide’s power and his contract.’ ‘My answer remains the same, Dazai. I did this for us all. If there is anything that will benefit us on the long term, I will go for it. I already won.’

Dazai once again walks to the exit. ‘Don’t go. Stay here. You must have a real good reason to join that fight.’ Dazai turns his head. ‘Two things. You will not shoot me, nor you will order anyone to shoot me.’ ‘And why?’ ‘Because there is no merit in doing so.’ ‘But you also have no merit in going there.’ Mori retorts. ‘There is. He is my very best friend. That is the only reason.’

With that, Dazai finally exits the penthouse.

* * *

‘That last book was very exciting.’ I say. It is true - I had never read such a fascinating book. The person who talked about it, said that it was terrible. But I didn’t think of it as such. In my opinion, it is a good book. The characters all spoke to me, and when I was done, I started reading it all over again. When I first finished reading it, it was like everything changed in my life. Before reading it, all I could do was kill. Normal people, Puer Magi, Puella Magi, Witches and their Familiars - I didn’t care at all. That book was literally a turning page in my life.

The only flaw the book had, was that the last few pages had been torn out.

The book was a murder mystery. Among the characters, there was a killer. The conclusion was supposed to reveal why they stopped killing, and who it was. There wasn’t a hint in the previous chapters, leaving me frustrated. That was, until I realized that _I was supposed to write the ending_.

That was the reason I wanted to become a writer, and also the reason why I stopped killing normal people and other magical fighters. I think about that man right now and finally remember his name. It was the same as on the book.

_Natsume Souseki._

* * *

 ‘I was once a hero.’ Gide says.

It is true. He became a Puer Magi with a contract via an incubator, and became a fighter. He has a side power to know what the future name of a Puer or Puella Magi will be. That is, their name as a witch. He believes his only destination is dying.

During a campaign, he and only forty soldiers had attacked a walled city with more than ten times his squad. They killed all their enemies and won the city. This was planned by his allies - the peace talks with that country had just been completed. Attacking that city filed them as traitors. Gide and his people were subjugated, and he had to seize his enemy’s equipment. He turned against the people of his own country, killed fellow citizens, and were thrown out of the country. His glory days were over. From that moment on, they became illegal merchants, assassins and thieves.

Some of them didn’t want to die. They still fought for their ideals. They sought the battlefield again. Those were the ghosts of the battlefield.

* * *

Gide says a long quotation. I do too. This is feeling like infinity, while in reality, it isn’t even long enough to call it a second. Hell, I am still shooting Mimic soldiers and he is still shooting mafia men. This is a battle of exhaustion. We are both waiting for that moment one of us lets down our guard, for that one gap in our contract. The fine print of it, so to say.


	18. Finding Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJUjD1jYBWA
> 
> (This song also reminds me of the ending of the game 'Mysterious Forum and 7 Rumors', due to having listened to it the first time while playing that ending)

‘Is there no other way, Cassandra? Or is that just a thing in your mind? Couldn’t you have changed lifestyle in the middle?’ ‘I can’t do that. I am not you, Caecilia. I swore to my partners I will live and die fighting.’ He smiles melancholically.

I have my gun aimed at the Soul Gem on his chest, and he has his aimed at mine. But in our minds, our talk easily could’ve happened on a sweet spring eve. ‘It may have been possible. We could have become something else than what we’re now. Perhaps one day, when I am as strong as you, Caecilia…’

Only two people are alive right now. Me and Gide. Both our Soul Gems are tainted, and it is going to be fatal anyway. Gide’s grip on the gun falters. It feels like we are standing in the void.

_In the rare case two contracted meet, having made the same wish, their results start to clash._

‘I still have one thing.’, I ‘say’. ‘I haven’t said goodbye to my friend. There is someone who considers me his very best friend. He is disillusioned with the world.’ ‘Is that person the same as me?’ ‘No. At least, I don’t think so. Initially, I thought you were similar. You both crave death, wanting to find it and seeking it in the hands of someone else. He is just a smart kid. A kid alone in the darkness…! That is why he is so lonely... no one understands the contents of that Soul Gem of his!'

The bullet I fired, shatters Gide’s Soul Gem. Its dark red pieces scatter on the ground, the remnants of his Soul.

‘Caecilia...even your last shot was perfect...I am going to meet my friends...say hi to the kids from me…’ He keels over, while his fired bullet hits the ground. I fall over too, in the same position, due to the strain of the battle.

It is at that point, that I hear footsteps.

‘Odasaku!’

‘Dazai…’

* * *

I rush into the banquet hall. ‘What an idiot you are, Odasaku, to accompany such a person in death!’ ‘Yeah…’ Oda looks up, and gazes into my eyes. I notice his Soul Gem, having become black as the darkest night. ‘Dazai...I have one last thing to say…!’ ‘Your magic has run out…!’ I don’t know what will happen. My guess is that he simply won’t be able to use magic anymore, and become a normal person like he was before the contract. ‘Listen to me...! You once said that when you entered a merciless world of bloodshed, you’d be able to find a reason to live…!’ ‘Ah, but now…’ ‘Such a thing can’t be found in there, Dazai…! You should know this. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on. You still have that void inside you.’ ‘But...Odasaku...what do I do?’ I say desperately.

‘Go...to the...side that saves people…! Become...a good person! Save people...before they end up...like me…!’ I nod. ‘I’ll do that. For you. For them. I promise..!’ ‘Humans live...to save themselves…! They...will understand this before they die. That is...well said…’ He loosens the bandage around my eye.

Odasaku’s Soul Gem cracks as he closes his eyes. It immediately explodes, and the space around me warps into a barrier. A massive witch appears in front of me. _What the hell?!_

‘ODASAKU!!’ I shout, and desperately look around. I held him in my arms! Where is he? I see a small shadow falling, and I dive towards it. It's Odasaku. He is dead. I look up: the barrier is strangely familiar to me. It resembles...  _oh god_. My very best friend turned into that witch. I clench my teeth and reluctantly grab my weapon. Tears stain my face.

 

_I am so sorry, Odasaku._

* * *

__


	19. Epilogue - Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHHFjqJRJ6A
> 
> (I also associate that song with that game)

Lost Mimic members soon find themselves defeated by Akutagawa. A new resolve is taken, an obsession just born.

Another witch falls at the hands of Ango Sakaguchi. A barrier dissipates, a Puer Magi transforms back.

Dazai disappears from the mafia, forever. A truth is known, a door is opened.

Mori sees what happened. An executive place is held open, a Silver Oracle is found in the barrier.

A meeting is held in a small bar. A transfer is made, a restart is officially done.

A body is found. A grave is opened, a Grief Seed is kept.

* * *

Atsushi and Yosano are in the process of cleaning Dazai’s house. ‘I said, when you clean your house, you’ll find lots of things you forgot!’ Yosano smiles. ‘That’s why I urged you to clean it up!’ Atsushi tosses the duster to Yosano. ‘Your turn!’ She starts wiping the table.

Dazai is sitting in the couch, playing a game on his phone while Atsushi walks up to him. ‘Hey, Dazai, I just found this and I was asking…’ He shows Dazai a small chest and opens it.

Inside of it are a few things. An old grey gun, a photo and a Grief Seed.

Dazai’s heart skips a beat. ‘Atsushi…’ ‘What?’ ‘Hide it! Get it out of my sight! Put it on the attic or something. But don’t get rid of it.’ Atsushi listens to it with open mouth. What could possibly be the cause of this heavy reaction?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda wanted to die...I, above all other men, felt and understood deeply the sadness of Oda.
> 
> The first time I met him on the Ginza, I thought, 'God, what an unhappy man,' and I could scarcely bear the pain. He gave the vivid impression that there was across his path nothing but the wall of death.  
> He wanted to die. But there was nothing I could do. A big, brotherly warning - what hateful hypocrisy. There was nothing to do but watch.  
> The 'adults' of the world will probably criticize him smugly, saying he didn't have enough self-respect. But how dare they think they have the right!  
> Yesterday I found recorded in Mr. Tatsuno [Yutaka]'s introductory essay on Senancour the following words:  
> 'People say it is a sin to flee by throwing life away. However, these same sophists who forbid me death often expose me to the presence of death. The various innovations they think up increase the opportunities for death around me, their preaching leads me towards death, and the laws they establish present me with death.'  
> You are the ones who killed Oda, aren't you?  
> His recent sudden death was a poem to his final, sorry resistance.  
> Oda! You did well.  
> \- Dazai Osamu's eulogy for Oda.


	20. Endnote

I had planned to do an adaptation of Dark Era some time ago. As of now, this story is the longest I ever wrote. That is, including all those stories I never finished or posted on here. 

In this endnote, I'll clarify some things as well as post some worldbuilding stuff.

About the wishes, the reason why the Oda/Gide one isn't revealed, is because I have not found a suitable one myself. Oda did not know Dazai's wish, but it was, ' _Let me stop it, this instant._ ' No one knows what it refers to, but it was probably made when Dazai saw Chuuya accessing Corruption for the first time.

I was kind of happy with all the subtext in the fight in the end, especially because PMMM has a  _lot_ of subtext itself. The fight takes place in a banquet hall suited for holding an old-fashioned ball, they are synchronized due to their powers, at a point their stances are described as 'miraculous', and finally, 'half a turn' and 'a full turn' is used, as in twirling around. If you look how it's animated in the anime, it really looks like some sort of dance, too. I really liked that as I listened to some fitting music while writing it (Nightmare ballet, flame of despair, and most of all: Lilith in Starlight!)

Furthermore, I decided Gide would call everyone by their witch name in order to aggravate them. I also decided that it would be some sort of secondary, non-deadly power. About those names, I chose them on purpose.

Initially I wanted to hold my code of naming every witch name after an asteroid, like is done in canon. I only held that promise for Caecilia. (297 Caecilia, to be exact.) I deemed the name fitting since 'Caecilia' means 'Blind one', and Oda's powers and aesthetic is akin to a seer (his Soul Gem was placed between the eyes, on the sixth chakra, the Ajna). It also reflects that he was blinded by revenge at the end. The name 'Cassandra' was meant to tie in to 'Caecilia', as Gide says. 'Cassandra' is derived from the mythological figure who could tell the future, but was not believed when she did so. I wanted it to reflect Gide's desire in a cruel way. 'Nyx' is the name of Akutagawa's witch. Nyx is the goddess of the night and was so powerful that Zeus himself was scared of her. In turn, I now decided that Atsushi's witch will be called 'Hemera' in turn.

A fun fact regarding my designs of the Buraiha. In an old 'magical girl design book' I read that when you have a team, the base form of the outfit can stay the same, but that color, details and hairstyle set individual members apart. Since Madoka Magica is, ahem, not really a traditional magical girl series, I usually abandon this thing. However, I noticed that I undeliberately gave the Buraiha a RGB color scheme - Oda as red, Dazai as blue, and Ango as green.

At one point Oda comments that 'Something, no, everything is wrong', referring to the namesake of the second chapter. Both Gide and Akutagawa urge being killed in an utterly dramatic fashion; this referring to Vriska. In addition to that, the sentence: 'You cannot possibly hope to beat them in a eavesdropping beat-off. They are simply the best there is' by Dazai in chapter 12 refers to a running gag in Homestuck too. The writing style of the epilogue is modeled after a style in Homestuck too (A(n) X is (Y), a(n) Z is (A)). And of course, 'I am surrounded by idiots.'


End file.
